Cumberland Community Action Program / Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina

What Cumberland Community Action Program / Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina does

Action Pathways, Inc. (operating as Cumberland Community Action Program and Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) community action agency founded in 1965 and headquartered at 4525 Campground Road in Fayetteville, NC. The organization addresses poverty across four interconnected verticals—hunger, housing, education, and empowerment—through five core programs: Head Start/Early Head Start (serving ~1,000 low-income families with children birth to age five in Cumberland County), Second Harvest Food Bank (a Feeding America member distributing 11 million meals annually across 7 counties via 260+ partner agencies), the Weatherization Assistance Program (DOE-funded energy efficiency upgrades spanning 11 counties), the ASPIRE Self-Sufficiency Program (CSBG-funded case management in Cumberland and Sampson counties), and the Summer Youth Employment Program (ages 15-17). It also operates 12 affordable rental houses via Pennink & Huff Property Management and several corporate-funded sub-programs including the BCBS Healthy Home Initiative and Duke Helping Home Fund.

The organization employs 108 people and operates without proprietary technology platforms; it uses a standard WordPress-based website (actionpathways.ngo), ChildPlus.net for Head Start applications, and givebutter.com for donations. There are no AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or technology products—the operating model is entirely service-delivery-based with manual client intake processes. WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance has been implemented for the website.

Action Pathways generates no revenue from participant fees—all services are provided at no cost to income-qualified individuals. Funding sources are diversified across federal grants (CSBG, Head Start, DOE WAP, USDA TEFAP, LIHEAP, CACFP), corporate and foundation grants (Walmart Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield NC, Food Lion Feeds), and individual donations. Customer relationships are governed by federal program eligibility rather than commercial contracts, and the go-to-market is entirely community-led via direct outreach, DSS referrals, faith-based partner referrals, and event-driven mobile pantry distributions rather than any sales motion.

Name

Cumberland Community Action Program / Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina

Legal name

Action Pathways, Inc.

Website

https://ccap-inc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Action Pathways is a nonprofit community action agency in southeastern North Carolina addressing poverty through Head Start early childhood education, the Second Harvest Food Bank, weatherization services, the ASPIRE self-sufficiency program, and affordable housing for low-income families across 7-11 counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child Care Services (6244), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Early Head Start & Publicly Funded Infant/Toddler Programs (EDACAGAH), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Community College / Training Provider Workforce Pathways Programs (EDAAAOAO)

Keywords

• Community action services
• Food bank distribution
• Early childhood education
• Home weatherization services
• Self-sufficiency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Fayetteville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants: Primary funding from federal grants including the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), U.S. Department of Energy Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), Head Start/Early Head Start grants from the Administration for Children and Families (HHS), and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) from USDA.
2. Foundation & Corporate Donations: Funding received from corporate foundations including Walmart Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation, and Feeding America. These grants support specific programs such as produce distribution, COVID-19 hunger relief, and weatherization upgrades.
3. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute via the organization's donation portal (givebutter.com/actionpathwaysinc). Public fundraising campaigns support general operations and disaster relief efforts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Action Pathways, Inc. is a nonprofit community action agency that delivers free, income-qualified social services across southeastern North Carolina. Its core offerings include early childhood education (Head Start/Early Head Start), emergency food distribution (Second Harvest Food Bank serving 260+ partner agencies), home weatherization for low-income households, and a case-managed self-sufficiency program (ASPIRE) covering employment, budgeting, housing, and transportation support.

Product overview

Action Pathways operates as a community action agency offering multiple interconnected social service programs focused on addressing poverty in southeastern North Carolina. The organization operates five core programs: Head Start (early childhood education), Second Harvest Food Bank (food distribution), Weatherization Assistance Program (home energy efficiency), ASPIRE Self-Sufficiency Program (economic empowerment), and Summer Youth Employment Program (youth job training). These programs address the organization's four focus areas of hunger, housing, education, and empowerment, working together to help individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASPIRE Self-Sufficiency Program: A comprehensive, holistic, and family-centered service program that assists low-wealth or under-resourced individuals in obtaining skills and knowledge to become self-sufficient. Stands for Achievement, Success, Progress, Independence, Readiness and Evolve.
• Head Start
• Second Harvest Food Bank

Products and services

• Head Start / Early Head Start Free early childhood education, meals, health services, family engagement, and home visits for income-eligible children from birth to age five and pregnant women in Cumberland County, North Carolina. At least 10% of enrollment is reserved for children with special needs.
• Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 120 households per week through partner food pantry (up from 25 pre-pandemic)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Feeding AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina is a proud member of Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. This membership provides access to the Feeding America network of 200 member food banks, shared resources, procurement leverage, and national advocacy support. The Feeding America network has secured 1.5 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables for families in need.
• Pennink & Huff Property ManagementcoreOthersAction Pathways currently rents 12 houses that are managed by Pennink & Huff Property Management. The property management company handles all rental operations for these affordable housing units.
• North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAction Pathways is a member of the NCCAA, which coordinates Community Action Month (celebrated in May) and connects community action agencies to grant funding opportunities. Through this partnership, Action Pathways received Blue Cross Blue Shield funding.
• 260+ Member Agencies (Churches, Food Pantries, Nonprofits)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecond Harvest Food Bank distributes supplies to over 260 member agencies across 7 counties. These partner agencies — primarily churches, food pantries, and small nonprofits — serve as the hands of the food bank, creating the last-mile distribution network. The network relies on strong partnerships to reach food-insecure populations in a large rural service area.
• Fort Bragg Hog ChapterminorOthersVolunteer organization that escorted the Second Harvest mobile food pantry during disaster relief distributions following Hurricane Florence in Riegelwood, NC.
• Clinton City SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecond Harvest Food Bank partnered with Clinton City Schools, the NC Community Action Association, and other local agencies to open the Dark Horse Food Pantry at Clinton High School, serving student families.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina: Regional Feeding America member food bank serving 34 counties in North Carolina. Direct peer to Second Harvest Food Bank of SE NC, operating a similar food distribution model with partner agencies across a comparable rural service area.
• North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA): Statewide association of community action agencies including Action Pathways. Coordinates Community Action Month and channels grant funding (e.g., BCBS Healthy Home Initiative) to member agencies — a peer network and funding intermediary.
• MANNA FoodBank: Regional Feeding America food bank serving 16 counties in western North Carolina. Operates analogous partner agency distribution model, mobile pantries, and produce programs targeting food insecurity in a rural service area.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National network of 200 food banks. Second Harvest is a member, and Feeding America provides procurement leverage, advocacy, and shared resources — an upstream incumbent and parent network rather than direct competitor.
• National Head Start Association: National membership organization representing Head Start programs including Action Pathways' Head Start. Provides training, advocacy, and policy support — analogous to how Feeding America serves the food bank program.
• National Community Action Partnership (NCAP): National umbrella organization for community action agencies. Grants Action Pathways its federally recognized Community Action Agency status and awarded the 2021 Promise in Action Award — a sector-wide incumbent/policy body.

Regional players

• Salvation Army of the Sandhills Region: Regional nonprofit providing food assistance, emergency housing, and self-sufficiency programs in the same SE North Carolina service area as Action Pathways. Overlaps with food bank, ASPIRE-like case management, and emergency assistance missions.
• United Way of Cumberland County: Local United Way chapter operating in the same Cumberland County service area as Action Pathways. Competes for corporate donations and grant funding, with overlapping anti-poverty and self-sufficiency program missions.
• Coastal Community Action, Inc. Another North Carolina Community Action Agency operating Head Start, Weatherization, and self-sufficiency programs in eastern NC counties. Closest head-to-head peer on the multi-program community action agency model.

Emerging players

• Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont: Workforce development and self-sufficiency nonprofit serving a multi-county region that overlaps with Action Pathways' ASPIRE program territory. Comparable case management and employment readiness model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/actionpathways
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDUglNa-xVjlEVjBkGSgwLQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/actionpathways
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cumberland-community-action-program-second-harvest-food-bank-of-southeast-north-carolina

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Cumberland Community Action Program / Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina